October 2016 – Page 16

NFA allots P2.3 B for palay purchases

Economy

Oct 072016

MANILA, Philippines – State rice importer National Food Authority (NFA) is allotting P2.3 billion for palay-buying nationwide as the harvest season begins. The P2.3-billion is under the Cereal Procurement Fund (CPF) that will be used to finance extensive palay-buying operations across the country. The NFA targets to buy 2.6 million bags of palay from local farmers nationwide until yearend. It buys palay at P17 per kilogram and the standard 50-kilogram bag costs P850. NFA also clarified that the P2.3 billion is just an initial allocation and it could shell out additional budget should there be more farmers who would want to sell their palay produce. “We are ready to set up more funds should there be a need to buy more palay,” NFA officer-in-charge Tomas Escarez said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “We shall be focusing our procurement operations on the 35 provinces across the country with surplus production identified by the Philippine Statistics Authority,” he added. These provinces include Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Kalinga, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Quirino, Aurora, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, and Palawan. The NFA will also buy from farmers in Camarines Sur, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Agusan del Sur.

Ford sales accelerate 32% in Q3

Economy

Oct 072016

MANILA, Philippines – Ford Philippines registered a record third-quarter performance as it posted a 32 percent year-on-year jump in vehicle sales from July to September this year. Ford said it sold 8,224 vehicles in the third quarter which pushed sales in the nine-month period ending September to 24,993 vehicles, a 50 percent increase from the same period last year. With the strong demand for the EcoSport, Ranger and Everest models, Ford remained one of the fastest growing automotive brands in the Philippines. “Our full lineup of global Ford vehicles is contributing to another exceptional year of growth. EcoSport, Everest and Ranger continue to be the main drivers, but the rest of our showroom, including vehicles like Explorer, Fiesta and Mustang, are helping build on the broad-based appeal for the Ford brand in the market,” said Lance Mosley, managing director of Ford Philippines. The Everest was Ford’s best-selling vehicle in the third quarter, chalking up retail sales of 2,661 units. The EcoSport contributed sales of 2,612 units, while the Ranger sold 1,976 vehicles during the July to September period.

DENR clears Alsons unit’s $2-B environmental project

Economy

Oct 072016

DENR clears Alsons unit’s $2-B environmental project

MANILA, Philippines – The $2-billion environmental project of Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) of the Alsons Power Group has been validated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for environmental protection and community support. SEC said the DENR issued a certificate of compliance (COC) for its environmental project, located within the vicinity of its 210-megawatt (MW) baseload coal-fired power plant. Under the project, the power firm aims to plant 3.75 million seedlings covering 7,500 hectares — an area bigger than the City of Manila and over twice the size of Makati City — within a 15-year period, or by 2027, to protect the Siguil and Kamanga River watersheds in Maasim, Sarangani province. The COC from DENR confirmed that SEC completed planting over 1.29 million seedlings covering 1,208 hectares as of February 2016, which were confirmed by DENR field personnel and duly approved by the DENR Region 12 director. The area planted now covers 2,865.5 hectares in five barangays in Maasim, namely: Amsipit, Bales, Kablacan, Lumatil and Pananag The Maasim Watershed Protection Project started in 2012 after several years of dialogs and consultations between SEC and various stakeholders since 2008 with the commencement of an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 These efforts led to SEC signing a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MOA) on March 30, 2012 with the DENR and the Maasim Highlander Farmers Association (MAHIFA), a people’s organization composed of the residents, many of whom are members of the B’laan and T’boli Read More …

China rail giant firms up bid for Philippines project

Economy

Oct 072016

China rail giant firms up bid for Philippines project

MANILA, Philippines – China’s CRRC-Dalian Co., the largest train manufacturer in the world, has expressed its interest to bid for big-ticket rail projects in the Philippines. Top officials of CRRC- Dalian Co. Ltd. visited the Philippines recently to affirm their “solid intent to participate in the modernization of the Philippine rail transport system”. Together with its parner CGC Worldwide Inc., CRRC-Dalian will participate in railway expansion and modernization projects, especially the North-Southrail project and the proposed Manila-Clark railway line and the Clark Subic cargo line. At present, CRRC-Dalian is the contracted supplier of 48 new train coaches to MRT Line 3 which will help increase the 13-station, 16.9-kilometer commuter line’s current daily capacity to 800,000 passengers from 350,000 passengers by 2017. Chuanyi Zhou, CRRC-Dalian deputy general manager, described the Philippines as the latest magnet for the world’s top locomotive industry players. “Our company wants to establish a foothold here well ahead of the others because this is one market we do not want to lose,” Zhou said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Zhou said the company has overtaken its rivals in Europe, Asia, and North America in their traditional markets. As such, he said it does not make sense for the company to fail in a country that it considers a valued friend and neighbor.” “We are determined to bring to the Philippines which we regard as a sustainable new market the most modern, safest, and the most technologically superior train coaches and rail network at Read More …

We’ll have Filipino fishermen returning to West PH Sea – Duterte

News

Oct 072016

We’ll have Filipino fishermen returning to West PH Sea – Duterte

FILE: SEA DISPUTE In this photo taken on Sept. 23, 2015, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel fires its water cannon on Filipino fishermen in a confrontation off Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. A UN court is expected to issue a ruling today on a complaint filed by the Philippines questioning China’s territorial claim over almost all of the sea, including its reefs, shoals and islets. AP President Rodrigo Duterte is hopeful that China would allow Filipino fishermen to fish in our traditional fishing grounds in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) after his visit to the superpower nation. “I hope to report to you good news when I shall have visited Japan and China. I’m quite positive [about] China. We will have the Filipinos returning to the traditional fishing grounds,” Duterte said in a speech at the National Banana Congress in Davao City. The President is expected to visit China from October 19 to 21 and would visit Japan from October 25 to 27. On July 12, the Philippines won its protest at the United Nation’s International Tribunal against China. The historic decision said the Philippines has an exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and that China’s “nine-dash line” was invalid. But despite the landmark ruling, China has rejected to honor the decision. In September, Filipino fishermen were reportedly harassed by Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough Shoal. Early this month, reports said Filipino fishermen were driven away Chinese Coast Guard in Read More …

EU envoy hails Duterte’s peace process on admin’s first 100 days

News

Oct 072016

EU envoy hails Duterte’s peace process on admin’s first 100 days

EU ambassador Franz Jessen/Yuji Gonzales, INQUIRER.net European Union ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said moving the peace process with leftist rebels has been an important breakthrough of President Duterte in his first 100 days. Jessen, however, noted a lot of changes in terms of “new language” and many interpretations of statements. President Duterte had been thrown into fits of cussing and swearing at the EU as well as United Nations and US President Obama for their criticisms on summary killings of drug addicts that have reached more than 3,000. “One hundred days passed very fast, lots of changes, new policies, new language, and many interpretations of statements and developments,” said ambassador Jessen in his open letter posted on the Facebook website of EU in the Philippines. In his assessment of Duterte’s first 100 days, Jessen said “the ongoing peace process remains an area where President Duterte may have an early and very important breakthrough.” This week, he said talks between the Philippine government and rebels continue in Norway. “We all hope that an agreement will soon be reached between the different parties, so that needed peace and stability in Mindanao can be used as a basis for further developments in Mindanao and the Philippines.” He said the EU-Philippines strong cooperation continues with the successful hosting of the first EU-Philippines Business Summit that gathered 300 businessmen. Jessen said European businessmen remain keen on investing in the Philippines particularly in the area of energy. Times have been rough for the EU Read More …

PH tells US no joint patrols in South China Sea

News

Oct 072016

PH tells US no joint patrols in South China Sea

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana speaks during a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo on Oct. 7. AP SAN ANTONIO, Zambales—Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday that he told the US military that plans for joint patrols and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea have been put on hold, the first concrete break in defense cooperation after months of increasingly strident comments by President Rodrigo Duterte. Lorenzana also said that 107 US troops involved in operating surveillance drones against Muslim militants would be asked to leave the southern part of the country once the Philippines acquires those intelligence-gathering capabilities in the near future. Duterte also wants to halt the 28 military exercises that are carried out with US forces each year, Lorenzana said. Duterte has said he wants an ongoing US-Philippine amphibious beach landing exercise to be the last in his six-year presidency as he backs away from what he views as too much dependence on the US. READ: 2016 PH-US war games will be the last–Duterte With the turquoise backdrop of the South China Sea, US Marines and allied Filipino combat forces waded ashore in a mock assault Friday on a beach in San Antonio town in northwestern Zambales province. Gunfire rang out as the world superpower and its former colony showcased the lethal power of their alliance. Pounding rain prevented military aircraft from joining the beach assault drills, but the US and Filipino forces managed to rapidly come on shore to take out a “notional target,” said Maj. Read More …

On his first 100 days, Duterte dares US: ‘Go ahead, oust me’

News

Oct 072016

On his first 100 days, Duterte dares US: ‘Go ahead, oust me’

It’s the Duterte administration’s first 100 days on Friday, but the President was in no mood to celebrate but he did not let the day pass without giving the United States yet another tongue lashing. “Do not treat us like a doormat because you will be sorry for it,” President Duterte told the Philippines’ long-time ally Friday evening. Duterte again launched fresh tirades against the US for criticizing his administration’s war on illegal drugs and interfering in the country’s affairs. “Assess yourselves. Because if you don’t, you will lose the Philippines,” he said. Instead of making sweeping criticisms of the Philippines, Duterte said the US should instead ask its UN ambassador to make a complaint and investigate first. “You can ask your ambassador to the United Nations to make a complaint. Ask them and investigate and make a report and that is the time you call my attention,” he said. He mentioned the plans of the Central Intelligence Agency to oust him. “You want to oust me? You want to use the CIA? Go ahead. I said I put at stake my honor, my life, and the presidency. What happens to me is really a part of my destiny. If I am ousted, then that is part of my presidency,” he said. Throwback The President mentioned how the Philippines suffered during the US colonization in the Philippines.“We sacrificed for you. You stayed here. You are still doing business here. Nilunok ko na lang iyan. We suffered during the last Second Read More …

US Embassy: We are still here to help

News

Oct 072016

SCREENGRAB from United States Embassy in Manila’s Facebook page The United States Embassy in Manila posted on Facebook old photos of its relief operations in Zamboanga siege in 2013. “Remember when the US military and USAID Philippines distributed a total of 10,000 units of bottled water, sleeping mats, blankets, tooth brushes, toothpaste, buckets, and canned goods to provide relief and emergency to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Zamboanga City in 2013 We were here to help. We are still here to help,” the embassy said in the caption along with the photos that were posted on Friday. The post came with the hashtag #FriendsPartnersAllies. A few days after the month-long Zamboanga siege started on September 9, 2013, the US provided P26.4 million (US$600,000) worth of assistance to thousands affected by the conflict. They also helped set up portable toilets, and the procurement of 1,500 water buckets and four 500-gallon water tanks to ensure better sanitation and access to water for displaced residents. On Thursday, the embassy also posted its relief operations in the aftermath of Supertyphoon Yolanda in November 2013. “Members of the U.S. Marines are one of the first to respond with relief supplies immediately after Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines on November. From building houses and schools, to first aid training in the Filipino community, military exercises like the ongoing PHIBLEX 33 also include community assistance programs to ensure Filipinos have the resources and skills to respond to real-world disasters,” the post said, which had a hashtag #FriendsPartnersAllies. The posts came Read More …

Humility as a virtue

Entertainment

Oct 072016

The word humility is defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as the quality or state of being humble. Humility, most often than not, is mistaken as a sign of weakness and submissiveness or even fear. But to me, real humility is a sign of strength and confidence and courage exhibited by a real man. It is also often said that humility is an act of selflessness. However, when it is done so grudgingly, it is considered an act of selfishness. So many preaches the importance of humility in one’s life, but only a few practice it. The ancient Greeks often wrote in their numerous poems and literature about the importance of humility. In almost all of their writings, the subject of discourse was the shameful often fatal effects of one’s hubris, excessive and arrogant pride. There are two men that I know of, based in history, that possessed extreme pride, arrogance and lofty ambitions that lead to their ultimate downfall – Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. During their reign, both men were despised even by their supporters because of their arrogance and overbearing pride. In the case of President Rodrigo Duterte, many were surprised that they found it hard to believe that the tough-talking former Davao city mayor known for openly advocating murder to bring peace and prosperity, will have the courage to humble himself in public for being wrong. Duterte did not only do it once, but twice. He publicly apologized to former Pangasinan Governor and now Congressman Amado Read More …

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